


hardships

by kuntens



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Geographical Isolation, How Do I Tag, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 19:36:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17147846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuntens/pseuds/kuntens
Summary: it isn't easy to live on an island isolated from everyone else, but Jeno and Jaemin make it work.(jeno x jaemin, domestic!au)





	hardships

**Author's Note:**

> dedicated to my dear linh, hope you like it and merry christmas~

Mornings are almost no different than each at the island but they somehow make up for the monotony.

Jaemin always wakes up with his head covered in messy brown curls on Jeno's chest, able to listen to the calm and steady beat of his heart. In search of some of Jeno's warmth and scent which reminded of a fresh ocean breeze, Jaemin's nose is buried in Jeno's neck. The window next to their bed is open unless there's a storm roaring outside, making the sound of waves repeatedly hitting the shore audible. Sunlight is flowing inside through the sheer curtains shining gold, never too harsh but just warm enough to tickle Jaemin's skin.

When Jaemin finally gets up to stretch his rigid arms Jeno is already awake and while his eyes are closed, eyelashes spread on his sharp cheekbones, his lips are curled into a tiny smile Jaemin often fails to notice as he leans in for a little 'good morning' kiss. In that exact moment Jeno's hands find their right place on Jaemin's waist to pull him closer. Then, Jeno chuckles quietly before muttering something that Jaemin never actually understood or cared, and giving the kiss right back to Jaemin. The next kisses are everywhere on Jeno's face - cheeks, forehead, eyelids, nose, lips- given by Jaemin dearly. What follows it is Jeno's hands finding Jaemin's ones between the bedsheets and pulling the slightly younger back onto his chest, then another half an hour is spent on the bed just laying close and talking.

They talk a lot indeed. Jaemin has the ability to talk for hours without getting tired and he's genuinely curious about a lot of things- do aliens exist? How do caterpillars turn into butterflies? Fortunately, Jeno has the ability to be patient and answer them all the way through- if he can't, he'll sit down discussing the matters with Jaemin- sometimes when he goes to the mainland, he searches for a book or anything to answer what they couldn't, then spend even more time speaking about that.

Jeno lives for moments like these. His absolute favourite has to be one that's years ago, even before they got together: Watching Jaemin babble about his dog without hearing any word he said, just because Jeno was way too busy looking at the sparkles in Jaemin's eyes as he spoke with excitement. Similarly, Jeno also remembers the first time he said 'I love you' to Jaemin- an evening on this exact island, sitting together beside the fireplace with knees resting against each other and cups filled with hot chocolate in hands. He remembers how Jaemin's eyes lit up as he knocked Jeno down onto the floor in a tight hug. Jeno _remembers_ how he had to take a moment to himself and just breathe because that was when he realized Jaemin's eyes had tiny golden tints in them under the lights of the sunset. And that, was also when he realized how much he loved Jaemin.

Breakfast is a joint duty. Neither of them are good at cooking or anything but the food tastes good enough to be eaten. Plus they both think that the other's meals taste heavenly but there's a bit too much of embarrassment to admit that. So they cook together and then eat together as Jaemin's dog along with Jeno's cats stroll around the table asking to be fed, and of course get fed. The dishes are also left to the night as job awaits.

The job Jeno keeps in order to stay here and support them is being the keeper of the lighthouse there- that's why they're alone and frankly, peaceful. All Jaemin does is to take care of the house and them which suits him when considered how it's not Jaemin's thing to work, especially around people. Jeno earns enough and genuinely likes his job -they live away from the civilization with a fair share of money after all- so what else?

After breakfast comes the part where Jeno goes to the lighthouse to see if everything's in place and if there's a message from last night- he doesn't stay there overnight unless there's a storm going on. And that time is also when Jaemin heads to the backyard of their not-so-large home. Admittedly, Jaemin didn't always like flowers, especially before coming here, but now they just seem to be a part of his life. He's just glad that he has something to do and honestly is proud that he _can_ take good care of them. It's nice to have a place he can go and be alone to have some silence, especially if he and Jeno just argued. It doesn't happen much but to be fair, it should more often since the other one is the only face one of them can see. Somehow they don't fight much, yet the garden is Jaemin's safe space Jeno never enters.

Jeno's own safe space is a corner of the house he built bookshelves around and placed some cushions onto the floor of. He feels at ease there burying his nose into another book with the knowledge Jaemin won't be disturbing. There's a silent agreement between the two that if they're going to keep this life going, they've got to have mutual respect for each other's needs. So far, it's going well.

Around the time where the sun is at the very top, scorching the land, Jaemin can be found around the shore. He knows he shouldn't go out when the sunlight is that strong but the heat also is strong, and the sea is all nicely cooling. Jaemin does think that he might become the victim of a shark attack one day, though it's better than dying because of the heat and he does have a point there, honestly... at least the shark would be faster.

Jaemin knows where he'll find Jeno next if Jeno hasn't joined him on the shore already. By this hour, Jeno would either be around the garden checking on their vegetables, or at home lazily hitting at the strings of his guitar.

If Jeno's at the garden Jaemin straight up goes there. Planting these was Jeno's idea and Jaemin, frankly, thought it was useless- they could just buy anything, couldn't they? If only it was that easy. It took Jaemin a week on the island to realize that they couldn't just sail back to the mainland whenever they wanted to. With a tiny bit of shame, Jaemin just helped Jeno to place them around.

The chickens and the sheep indeed were _Jaemin's_ idea though. It stunned Jeno to hear, not in the world he would think Jaemin would willingly raise animals for food. Jaemin had to assure him that while it was going to be hard, it was also necessary- plus, they would have something else to keep themselves busy with, right? And that is the story of how these two almost have a little farm of their own now.

If Jeno is resting back home, Jaemin this time drags himself to the kitchen. Jeno will be on the balcony already, do Jaemin just prepares two cups of coffee and heads there. Once those cups are empty Jaemin encourages Jeno to pick up his guitar- no matter how many times Jeno's played for Jaemin, it takes a bit of effort but Jaemin feels that the soft blush adorning Jeno's cheeks after Jaemin compliments him on that is worth the effort. Jeno can't help but think that the way Jaemin's smile basically lights up the world is even better than that, but he keeps it to himself.

Later, Jaemin finds himself between Jeno's arms again, right where he feels he belongs to. He fits there like the missing piece of Jeno's puzzle even thought Jaemin is the slightly taller one, so it feels odd; but Jaemin is good being held especially since it's Jeno doing it.

This time there isn't much talking. Both of them are exhausted and just seek some comfort in each other's presences. Most times Jaemin even falls asleep and Jeno just can't wake him up, so they stay there with Jeno's hand curled into Jaemin's hair and Jaemin's arms sneaking around Jeno's waist; what else could one ask for?

Once Jeno's arm starts to hurt it means that the cuddling session is over and the two go their own places. Obviously, they don't spend every minute together. Being the only people around means that they see each other very, very often and there isn't anything bad about that- it's just, Jaemin is afraid he'll bore Jeno with his annoying personality. Jeno has told him countless times that Jaemin is never overwhelming but it does nothing to heal Jaemin's worries.

To be fair, Jaemin has never quite felt away from worries his whole life. Moving here with Jeno is the best decision he's made, in a sense. Jaemin's never-ending anxiety was making his life hell especially in a big city like that but now with only his love and the animals that never made him nervous, Jaemin finally feels like he's a decent human being. Not someone who can break down to the most simple daily situation.

Though he knows better than romanticizing it, Jaemin's able to say that Jeno makes him feel more at ease. With Jeno, Jaemin doesn't even have to voice anything- Jeno just knows when Jaemin is nervous and either gives him space or holds him close according to what he needs that time. Jeno knows when Jaemin can't just go and do something so he's there to help Jaemin do it. But never do it for him. It wouldn't be any help, they both agree on that.

"I might not be with you all your life, my love," Jeno whispered one night where they were lying close, breaths mixing. "You need to be able to take care of yourself."

And Jaemin accepts it. Jeno gives him a new dash of courage- call it cheesy, call it cliché but Jaemin feels like he can conquer the world with Jeno around, he _knows_.

But _Jeno_ isn't sure if he's done the right thing. He doesn't regret being here, no, but he just doesn't know if it was right. Maybe he could give Jaemin a better life back in the city, if they never left. Maybe Jaemin would be happier if Jeno didn't trap him on an island with himself, isolated from everything and everyone else. There isn't a single day that goes without Jeno considering going back, just because there still is a side of him that believes there's a possibility of it being better.

Every single time Jeno sees Jaemin sitting at the garden between his flowers with the dog on his lap, smiling brighter than the sun shining on him, all of Jeno's worries just disappear, though. All because he can't remember seeing Jaemin this happy back then. That Jaemin used to have dark circles around his pretty eyes, shoulders slumped and skin pale. Looking at him now, Jaemin was lively, with an aura of gold. Jeno only then believes he's done the right thing, for both of them -because Jeno can see how he himself has grown a lot healthier too-; only for his worries to come back like rain clouds moments later.

Life on there isn't all sunshine and rainbows, both Jaemin and Jeno know and have adapted to it already. There's been multiple times where they had to live without power, or times where their water or food stock was almost over and they had no chance to sail back to the mainland to refill. Jaemin remembers crying when they had to kill one of their chickens because there was quite literally nothing else to eat, Jaemin could barely take a few bites off it all because Jeno, who could eat by repeatedly forcing himself, kept urging him to. It took Jaemin weeks before he could eat meat again.

Jeno still feels chills creeping down his spine whenever Jaemin shows the slightest sign of being sick. There's once that Jaemin was sick so bad that Jeno got genuinely terrified of losing him that time. Jaemin just lied in bed all night writhing in pain with sweat drops glowing on his skin, while all Jeno could do was to sit by him and brush away the sweaty hair strands that kept sticking onto his forehead, silently begging for him to get better. Only after the storm was over in the morning, Jeno was able to take Jaemin to a doctor.

They have to rely on each other a lot in order to live there all well, since they have to make most things by themselves and live deprived on a fair amount. But it's worth it, really. Their happiness and love, is worth it.

Life there isn't easy, but they make it work.

 

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are appreciated ♡
> 
> ┆  ▸ [**tumblr**](https://solaregf.tumblr.com)   ▸ [**twitter**](https://twitter.com/solaregf)   ▸ [**curiouscat**](https://curiouscat.me/solaregf)


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